iOS App Store Rules in Revenue; 5 Latest Announcements by Apple

After a successful debut in India in 2014, Global Mobile Internet Conference (GMIC), is back in Bangalore, and this time with more than 2700 attendees, 43 exhibitors and 150 media representatives, thereby earning the status of India’s largest mobile conference.

Among other discussions, one of the crucial subjects of this year’s meet was revenue generated by apps across countries. Below is a graph delineating app store revenue by country in the year 2015-

As per the graph, iOS App Store is clearly dominating the market. In the US, Apple’s market share is more than twice as much as Android’s. Similarly, as depicted on the index, Android’s status in China is disappointing, owing to Google’s sour relations with the country. Nevertheless, South Korea’s stats favour Android by a good margin as compared to iOS. However, overall, Apple clearly emerges as the winner.

Here’s a list of the latest announcements made by Apple – Apple TV, New iPhones, iPads, and More

Apple TV

Finally, the long awaited, redesigned Apple tvOS has been unveiled. “It’s based on iOS and built for the living room,” Apple executive Eddy Cue told the crowd at Apple’s “Hey Siri” event in San Francisco. The new device features more storage and puts an emphasis on apps and voice navigation. So, now the users will be able to ask Siri to serve up movies and make suggestions for what they should watch, let alone bringing their favourite apps on the TV!
Developers can access the beta for the new tvOS SDK here. (Note that this version of tvOS is not compatible with older versions of Apple TV.) The new SDK is included with Xcode 7.1 beta, which is available now.

iPad Pro

Apple has launched a Pro version of its signature tablet, iPad. At 12.9 inches, the new tablet is larger than the preceding iPad Air 2, though at 1.57 lbs it weighs only slightly more. The iPad Pro comes equipped with Apple’s next generation processor, the A9, which Apple claims is 1.8 times faster than its predecessor.

The device comes in three sizes: 32GB with Wi-Fi for $799; 128GB with Wi-Fi for $949; and 128GB with LTE for $1,049. The new iPad also comes in a triad of colors: space grey, gold, and silver.

To satisfy the demand of a professional tablet, it is equipped with a stylus. It’s a pressure-sensitive stylus called the Apple Pencil. Apple has also finally made an attachable keyboard for the iPad. The pencil and keyboard will cost $79 and $169, respectively.

iPad Mini4

Apple also announced an addition to its iPad family with the iPad Mini 4. The Mini 4 is a smaller version of the iPad Air 2 and will cost $399

iOS 9

iOS9, which first announced in June, will officially debut next week on September 16.

iOS 9 has a bunch of new features like split screen, picture-in-picture, and the ability to open up a side panel app with a left-to-right swipe. Also expect a redesigned Notes app, support for transit in Maps, an all-new News app, and new capabilities in Apple Pay.

iPhone 6S and 6S Plus

Apple has announced two new iPhones: the 6s and the 6s Plus. The new phones ship with better cameras and a technology called 3D Touch. The devices also feature Apple’s new A9 chip processor. The 6s and 6s Plus will hit stores in October.